The present invention relates to improvements gift wrapping and more particularly, to gift wrapping combinations that provide for efficient and attractive gift wrapping by an individual by providing a folding gift cardboard box of specific dimensions with coordinated, pre-formed, pre-taped, pre-marked gift wrap corresponding to the folding box dimensions.
Typically a gift giver selects a decorative gift wrap that is used to cover a product, box, or other container for the dual purpose of concealing the content and providing a decorative/festive appearance. To achieve a neatly presented gift wrapped package requires skill, discipline, and patience, qualities rarer in some persons than others. Although prepackaged pre-decorated gift bags and gift box assemblies are now relatively commonplace, some gift givers prefer to provide a personal touch to the gift being given. A personal touch/effort by the gift giver is evidenced by personal hand-wrapping of a gift, a task that is infinitely more difficult for some than others.
For the xe2x80x9cwrapping challengedxe2x80x9d the task of wrapping a pre-formed box of uniform dimensions still requires wrapping which can provide a less desirable appearance due to wrapping technique flaws.
Furthermore, the task of wrapping a box typically proves time consuming (selecting paper, sizing, cutting, folding and taping) and somewhat wasteful of resources (paper, tape, etc.). In times of high volume, gift purchasing, the prospect of taking the purchases home to wrap them adds to the stress of an already hectic shopping experience. To some challenged gift givers, the combination is almost unbearable.
Alternatives have appeared, for example, at peak gift giving times, e.g., the holiday season, a gift purchaser may turn for help to an available gift-wrap service. This act, itself, may prove to be a challenge as the consumer/gift giver must contend with and negotiate long lines.
The prior art includes several different artifices which address the above described problems in different ways. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,313 (Culberg et al) discloses a pre-cut and pre-creased gift wrap including pressure sensitive tape disposed selectively along the edges. The stated purpose of the invention to expedite wrapping and produce a wrapped package with an improved appearance.
Another approach is taken by Stoll in U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,240 in which he describes a pre-formed, flattened gift wrap with an adhesive strip correspondingly dimensionally to a complementary gift box, followed sealing of the sleeve end yields a fully gift wrapped box. A stated objective of this disclosure is to minimize storage space and to permit stacking of the package wrapping.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,790,069, Straccamore discloses a collapsed, pre-wrapped gift wrap and box combination. Hendren, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,943 discloses a variation of pre-creased, pre-cut gift wrap for complementary gift boxes of the type described in Straccamore. Hendren""s sheet of wrap incorporates three generally parallel adhesive strips disposed longitudinally on the inside face of the sheet of gift wrap. The sheet of gift wrap also incorporates pre-scribed fold lines.
Diehl sets out a further example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,232. There he provides an example of foldable box incorporating a secured, preformed, inner liner that automatically extends upon erection of the box. Savage (U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,959) depicts a variant of more recent vintage, in the pre-cut, pre-creased gift wrap genre.
The final prior patent publication discussed here is Sloan (U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,025) in which a gift wrapping sleeve having one end pre-sealed is disclosed where following insertion of an associative gift box (xe2x80x9chexahedronally shaped articlexe2x80x9d), the open end is sealed.
The prior art does not show or discuss combining in a single flat package, an erectable flat-folded cardboard folding gift box with a sheet of flat, foldable, dimensionally coordinated gift wrap.
A matter not contemplated or addressed by the above-mentioned prior art concerns to the presentation of the exterior artwork. The prior art shows and contemplates the use of conventional wrapping material, e.g., that displaying relatively small repeating patterns. Relatively small, repeating pattern of indicia serve to mask wrapping errors while presenting a generally attractive appearance. It is not desirable under the prior art to provide pre-cut gift wrap exhibiting large or a single item because the larger the subject matter of the design relative to the package, the less forgiving the visual impression of the finished product in respect to alignment errors and misfolds.
Notwithstanding the usefulness of the above-described adjuncts and methods, a need still exists for a gift wrapping expedient that permits a person to hand wrap a boxed gift in an erectable folding gift box with a virtually mistake-proof box alignment system that properly displays the subject decorative gift wrap where said gift wrap includes pre-scored fold lines, placement guides, and stepwise wrapping instructions. In short, the art needs a gift wrapping combination that permits consistent and attractive results to be obtained.
It is an object of the present invention to provide box gift wrapping kit system that overcomes the problems of the prior art.
It is another object of the invention to provide a pre-packaged gift box wrapping combination with a folding gift box of specific dimensions that minimizes mis-alignment during wrapping.
It is another object of this invention to provide an attractive gift presentation, independent of the wrapping skill level of the gift giver.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a combination of a box to hold a gift with giftwrap of selected design elements that self-align during wrapping when the step by step instructions are followed.
A further object of this invention is to provide an embodiment where a folding gift box and accompanying ornamental gift wrap combination lies flat until used.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a flat packaged, folding gift box with a complementarily dimensioned, sheet of gift wrap for hand wrapping the box and its content where the sheet includes adhesive strips with removable covers to selectively expose the strips upon removal thereof and indicia for proper positioning of the box on the sheet and including pre-printed step-by-step instructions for securing the sheet to the box to provide a gift wrapped package.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a secure enclosure for gifts, while maintaining a decorative hand-wrapped presentation.
It is another object of this invention to provide a gift-wrapping alternative for a gift that, at once, provides maximum aesthetic appeal and decorative presentation with a minimum of effort, waste, and complexity.
These and other objects of the invention are satisfied by a combination gift box and gift wrap comprising:
a box container, having an upper section, said upper section being formed by a generally planar upper panel of selected width and length bordered by depending side walls of a select length defining the depth of the gift box, said box having a lower section being formed by a generally planar lower panel of selected width and length bordered by ascending side walls of a select length corresponding to the select length of said dependant side walls and adapted to nest within the upper section upon assembly;
a generally rectangular, flat sheet of wrapping material for wrapping said box container, said wrapping material having an operational surface adapted to confront the box container, an obverse decorative surface and an perimeter defined by a first, second, third, and fourth edges, said first and third edges being spaced apart by a distance equal to the length of the second and fourth edges where said first and third edges are parallel to one another and second and fourth edges are parallel to one another, respectively;
said operational surface of said flat sheet having printed thereon gift box alignment indicia, a first and second longitudinally disposed marked fold lines disposed interiorly of the first and third edge by a distance corresponding to the dependant side walls of the box container, a third and fourth laterally disposed marked fold lines disposed perpendicularly relative to the first and second fold lines where the operational surface bordered by the first, second, third, and fourth fold lines dimensionally conforms planar upper panel of the box container,
said operational surface further including fifth and sixth marked fold lines, spaced parallel to and respectively spaced from said third and fourth fold lines by a distance corresponding to the length of the dependant side walls of the box container,
said operational surface further including at least one selectively positioned and activatable sealing adhesive member disposed proximate to third edge between said first and second fold lines, and at least one selectively positioned activatable sealing adhesive member being disposed proximate to each of the first and second edges between said third and fourth fold lines,
said operational surface including printed step-by-step instructions thereon at selected locations so that the instruction for the next step remains visible to the user until the wrapping is completed.
Other objects of the invention are satisfied by a method of forming a gift wrapped gift box employing the combination according to claim 1 comprising the steps of:
preparing a gift box to receive an item and placing the item in the gift box;
placing the sheet of wrapping material on a flat surface with its decorative obverse side facing down and its operational side facing up;
placing the upper panel of the gift box on the operational side of the wrapping material in the area bordered and defined by the first, second, third and fourth fold lines;
folding the wrapping material about the third and fifth fold lines and then the fourth and sixth fold lines to where the fourth edge is positioned over the lower panel of the gift box;
activating the activatable sealing adhesive member proximate to the third edge and adhereing the third edge to the gift box;
tucking in the section of wrapping material defined by the first fold line and disposed between the third and fifth fold lines and the fourth and sixth fold lines respectively;
tucking in the section of wrapping material defined by the second fold line and disposed between the third and fifth fold lines and the fourth and sixth fold lines respectively;
activating the activatable sealing adhesive member proximate to the first edge, folding the first edge over the wrapping material disposed along the wall of the gift box to confront and bind to underlying wrapping material; and
activating the activatable sealing adhesive member proximate to the second edge, folding the second edge over the wrapping material disposed along the wall of the gift up box to confront and bind to underlying wrapping material.
This invention provides an easily vendible, space minimizing, easily used, relatively inexpensive gift wrapping kit combination preferably including a collapsed folding gift box with a rectangular, specifically-sized, pre-scored, partially pre-folded, sheet of gift wrap having a decorative surface and an oppositely facing operational surface including pre-printed instructional and placement indicia. The invention also permits the use of a decorative surface composed of non-repeating artwork. In other words, the invention allows for gift wrap featuring an artistically rendered single item (snowman, birthday cake, animal, etc.) that properly presented on the surface corresponding to the upper surface of the underlying box. Uniquely, the paper may also feature side borders/panels corresponding to the depending box edges where the borders include a coordinated/complementary subject matter. Likewise, non-random, non-repeating subject matter of the decorative gift wrap may provide a thematic presentation on surface covering the bottom of the box proper affixation to the underlying box.
As used herein xe2x80x9csubstantially,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cgenerally,xe2x80x9d and other words of degree are relative modifiers intended to indicate permissible variation from the characteristic so modified. It is not intended to be limited to the absolute value or characteristic which it modifies but rather possessing more of the physical or functional characteristic than its opposite, and preferably, approaching or approximating such a physical or functional characteristic.